Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of U.S. state of Nevada. Its county seat is Goldfield6. As of 2006, the population is 1,262, making it the least populous county in the state. Its school district has no high school. History Esmeralda County is one of the original Nevada counties, created in 1861. Esmeralda is the Spanish word for "emerald." An early Nevada miner, J. M. Corey, named the Esmeralda Mining District. It is believed that Corey named the district after the gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, from Victor Hugo's novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Esmeralda has had three county seats: Aurora until 1883, Hawthorne from 1883 to 1907 and finally Goldfield. Esmeralda grew from a gold mining boom in the first years of the 20th century. The mines were largely tapped out by the end of the 1910s and the economy and population declined afterwards. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,295 km² (3,589 sq mi). 9,294 km² (3,588 sq mi) of it is land and 1 km² (0 sq mi) of it (0.01%) is water. The county is dominated by the Silver Peak and Monte Cristo mountain ranges. Mountains in the county include: * Boundary Peak, 13,147 feet (4,007 metres), the highest point in Nevada * Piper Peak, 9450 feet (2,880 meters) * Magruder Mountain 9044 feet (2,756 meters) * Montezuma Peak, 8373 feet (2,552 meters) * Emigrant Peak, 6790 feet (2,069 meters) Major Highways * U.S. Route 95 * U.S. Route 6 * Nevada State Route 773 State Routes CA 264 and NV 266 Adjacent Counties * Mineral County - northwest * Nye County - east * Inyo County - south * Mono County - west Law and government The county seat of Esmeralda County is Goldfield. It was moved to Goldfield on May 1, 1907. The courthouse was opened on May 1, 1908 and has been in continuous use since then. Currently, the Offices of the Assessor, Auditor/Recorder, District Attorney, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, Treasurer, District Court, and Commissioner are located in the building.Esmeralda County web site Education The Esmeralda County School District has three elementary schools that currently serve approximately 90 students. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 971 people, 455 households, and 259 families residing in the county. The population density was 0/km² (0/sq mi). There were 833 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (0/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 81.98% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 5.15% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 7.62% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 455 households out of which 21.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.90% were non-families. 36.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.79. In the county, the population was spread out with 20.50% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 33.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 123.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,203, and the median income for a family was $40,917. Males had a median income of $39,327 versus $25,469 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,971. 15.30% of the population and 7.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.70% are under the age of 18 and 11.40% are 65 or older. Cities and towns * Goldfield * Dyer * Lida * Gold Point * Silver Peak See also * [[Wikipedia:USS Esmeraldo County (LST-761)|USS Esmeraldo County (LST-761)]] References External links * New Site: County of Esmeralda New Website * Esmeralda County School District Website Category:Counties of Nevada Category:Esmeralda County, Nevada